Mthiyane open to Arrows return

Orlando Pirates defender Nkosinathi Mthiyane says he would jump at the opportunity to work with Golden Arrows coach Clinton Larsen again.

Mthiyane joined Abafana Bes'thende during the January transfer window on a six-month loan deal, after a frustrating first half of the season on the sidelines at Pirates.

The 28-year-old left-back arrived at the Mayfair-based club at the start of the 2016/17 campaign from Chippa United, but failed to make a single appearance under Muhsin Ertugral or interim coach Augusto Palacios.

The presence of former Chippa United teammate Marc van Heerden, as well as Thabo Matlaba and Patrick Phungwayo forced Swedish mentor Kjell Jonevret to ship Mthiyane to Durban, where he went on to make 13 starts for Arrows.

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The ex-Thanda Royal Zulu and AmaZulu fullback has since given rave reviews of his loan spell, and says he would "jump at the opportunity" to return.

"I'd jump at the opportunity [to come back] again. Playing for Arrows restored the motivation because I played more than I thought," Mthiyane tells KickOff.com.

"It also brought back the confidence, not only for myself but also the other players as I also created a few goals.

"We played as a team, there was cohesion and we helped the team finish inside the top eight. We also lost in the Nedbank Cup semi-final. I think those are the positives that I'll walk away with from Arrows."

Mthiyane also reveals his admiration for Larsen, whom he holds in high esteem after experiencing the atmosphere under the Wentworth-born tactician.

"The coach [Clinton Larsen], even though there were youngsters within the team, was treating everyone equally," he adds.

"I'm sure you saw sometimes I wasn't playing and the coach opted for the youngster Romario Dlamini in my position, but it wasn't a case of me playing badly, no, there was no such.

"I found it interesting working under Larsen, as he assured that nobody owns their position."

The KZN-born defender also reserved praise for the club's youngsters, who he believes played a pivotal part in their top-eight finish.

"Playing with youngsters was exciting because these players were also motivated and they were doing things right. We as senior players motivate these players a lot.

"Of course, in football there are many mistakes but you wouldn't say these players were youngsters, they looked like senior players and they were up to the task on many occasions." .